In the fields of wellbore construction and well intervention, it is common to run tools and components to downhole locations on tubulars. For example, a packer or other isolation tool may be run on a casing string to provide isolation between borehole sections. The packer will be inflated or expanded into contact with an outer casing, to create a seal in the annulus between the outer casing and the casing on which the packer is run. To provide an effective seal, fluid must be prevented from passing through the space or micro-annulus between the packer and the casing, as well as between the casing and the outer casing. In many other downhole applications it is desirable to create a seal between a tubular and a body mounted on a tubular.
Previously proposed seal arrangements for sealing between a body and a tubular either rely on an interference fit between the body and a tubular, for example an o-ring seal, or they are relatively complex in construction and/or require particular activation conditions.
Providing an o-ring seal between two downhole components may be acceptable in some circumstances, but the requirement for an interference fit may be undesirable in others. For example, where the tools are slip on tools, which are slipped onto a tubular at surface and into the desired location, an interference fit makes the assembly process less convenient. In addition, during run-in of the tool on a tubular, the tool is likely to be subject to forces having axial, radial, and torsional components. These forces may be transferred to the o-ring, creating a risk of damage to the seal. In addition, o-rings may react unfavourably to some wellbore fluids.
In other applications, it may be desirable for a tool to be free to rotate and/or slide (between axial limits) during run-in, for example in friction reducing and centralising applications.